Is Ilia Topuria Ducking Max Holloway?

[@478Johnnyboy]

Anyone saying Max doesn’t want to fight is automatically sus.

[@Allmenshouldrespectallwomen]

Max should be answering questions about where the donation money went

[@oliverolsen8077]

@@Allmenshouldrespectallwomenexplanation

[@Allmenshouldrespectallwomen]

@@oliverolsen8077 he received money for the home restorations yet it’s nowhere to be seen??

[@ThermSupern]

Same for Ilia

[@KZ_MMA-KZ]

​@@Allmenshouldrespectallwomen respecting all women is absurd

[@PeterGriffingigity]

The issue with Illa Tiporua is that he thinks he's already a hall of famer rich athlete guy with 10+ title defenses and one of mma goats if not the GOAT himself, That's why people don't like him.

[@devrouxk]

he wants to be mcgregor so bad

[@batmanwins5701]

Yeah he seems to be a little bit ahead of himself. His opinion of himself doesn't equal his record at least not yet.

[@Tenchigumi]

Yeah, I'm in no position to speak badly of Topuria's skills, but as a human to another human, I think shutting the fuck up and actually fighting someone (instead of vocally ducking all the top fighters because they're the "old generation") would do wonders for his public image outside of Spain or whatever. I'm also really tired of MMA fighters trying to hide their shitty personalities behind "heel" or "troll" personas, mostly because with very rare exceptions (like Conor or Chael), they're all absolutely dogshit at it. Few things make me cringe or tune-out harder than Colby or Ilia. When grown men publicly spout childish, offensive, or insipid shit, and then hide behind the "but I'm a bad guy, lol" excuse, that's just exposing social insecurities that your fighting skills can't compensate for.

[@rico14]

@@TenchigumiI think it comes down to him lacking the charisma to be a true star even though he’s a great talent.

[@Tenchigumi]

@@rico14 Yeah, I think you're right.

[@ThatGuyGloomy]

Ilya’s reaction to Max knocking out Justin is priceless. Bro looks shook and I don't blame him

[@hailacrunch4937]

Except that he beat the guy who beat max 3 times

[@hjdeboer1662]

Everybody was shook and I think he was holding in excitement about a great performance rather than him being scared.

[@ThrobbertJomes]

If only we had Holloway reacting to topuria winning​@@hailacrunch4937

[@CasualGaming420]

​@hailacrunch4937 that doesn't mean anything MMA math doesn't work

[@savagesword6393]

Not to mention that was the most diminished version of Volk possible...he never should've been in there so soon after being ko'd by Islam

[@dantev3236]

The obsession with young guys wanting champ-champ status immediately instead of defending needs to stop. Dana needs to stop letting these guys hold up divisions.

[@Dukestboy96]

Dana just needs to come out and say that shit doesn't run here in this business. Stamp it out it's easily done they'd all pipe down if Dana was vocally against it

[@modularoutput]

​@@Dukestboy96Legit. I don't know any real fan that is impressed with double champ status these days.

[@Dukestboy96]

@@modularoutput did any of double champs actually clear out their divisions? Amanda yes but again female MMA and the 140lb division wasn't even a division lol

[@modularoutput]

@Dukestboy96 No, and that's a big part of it. Win title - don't defend in your division - challenge for double champ. It's empty to me.

[@urwifesbf]

@@Dukestboy96 Only Jones and GSP actually did enough to justify it. Most were 1-2 defenses if any. Conor is the double paper champ with 0 defenses in either division 🤣

[@isshikishrankmypp7802]

We should've known that this guy was gonna act like a diva after getting the belt

[@mikeiso8963]

Facts.

[@raul350raptor]

We did, everybody knew that, that’s why nobody wanted him to be champ. He hadn’t even won the title and was already saying Max, Brian, Yair and Volk weren’t getting title shots

[@mr_moo_moo]

spaniard

[@MoshJunkie426]

​@@mr_moo_mooglad I'm not the only one who had that thought too

[@igorz3551]

​@@MoshJunkie426wdym?

[@Kaihegon]

Ilia thinks he's a way bigger star than he his...

[@ohgeezrick2019]

I’m pretty sure he is a pretty big star where he is from, but he’s overestimating his importance to the average ufc fanbase for sure.

[@guardianlynx1745]

He tryna be the new connor and is on that path fr

[@badmotherfucker6328]

​@@ohgeezrick2019everybody is popular where they are from... That doesn't mean shit.

[@beef9]

​@@guardianlynx1745 like hell he is. Fucking sean omalley is a bigger star then him hes an actual embarrassment

[@batmanwins5701]

He is huge in Spain, but that isn't the kind of fame that translates to the superstar status that he seems to think he has.

[@alexgonzalez8954]

Bro was shitting his pants

[@Allmenshouldrespectallwomen]

I disagree

[@HabloEscobar-7]

To be real, the one shitting themselves was the whole arena... Ilia was calm and surprised

[@guardianlynx1745]

Nah​@@HabloEscobar-7

[@badmotherfucker6328]

​@@HabloEscobar-7 Calm? 😂

[@Yourdaddy-lb9lx]

how dumb you are?🤣🤫

[@gondolin999]

i hope max out classes ilia for 5 rounds and makes him suffer. he needs humbling

[@ONEROUNDLEFT]

Out classes for 3 and a brutal KO in 4. That way fans can’t say max got lucky.

[@boygonewhoopdataZZ]

Not a chance. Max game plan relies on the 1-2 and you know what counters that hard? Overhands.

[@stormb8433]

@@ONEROUNDLEFTtheyll say that 100% if Max KOs him within 2 rounds

[@N-B-MMA]

​@boygonewhoopdataZZ the overhand only work as counters if people come in on a straight line. Not sure if you've ever seen max fight but he's all about angles and rarely gets caught with an overhand

[@ONEROUNDLEFT]

@@stormb8433 yup. I’ve seen it happen.

[@galacticmaui2]

I don’t think Ilia scared but rather his ego likes being in control. No way Max says no behind the scenes.

[@benjbutton]

He’s not scared to get hurt, but he’s scared to lose. Jones has the same issue. I don’t think these guys are worried about getting hurt, they’re worried about getting embarrassed. I think it’s something that happens a lot with undefeated fighters. Fury was the same with Usyk. Losing early on in your career can sometimes be a real blessing.

[@king_kr8369]

​@@benjbutton that makes sense, if ilia loses now it would be a big loss, instead of losing early in his career in which he could bounce back much more easily

[@SnailHatan]

His ego likes being in control because he’s scared to lose control. That’s how ego works. The more insecure you are, the bigger your ego is.

[@k45207]

All these fighters want to immediately challenge for that second belt , can we get some defensives please? This is getting old

[@brendanhall6961]

Short answer: yes Long answer: yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeess

[@ThermSupern]

Delusional fanboy 😂😂

[@badmotherfucker6328]

​@@ThermSupernwe found İllia's burner account.

[@brendanhall6961]

@@ThermSupernimagine winning the 145 belt and immediately thinking you deserve a double champ fight at 155 - now THATs delusional

[@chka1043]

Hes not ducking max. The ufc lied to him by saying that max wouldnt sign. Ilia has said multiple times since 300 that he wants to fight max.

[@ThermSupern]

@brendanhall6961 He never said that his next fight should be in 155.. he said after Max he can go for the double champ... "Islam is the final goal" ... but you are just a hater so you don't see the truth))

[@trowabarton101]

Defend your belt a few times before you get a chance to go chamo champ, double champ shots should be earned.

[@mikeiso8963]

Agreed. Gotta clean out the division or minimum 3 defenses against top 5 opponents in your division and champs coming up don’t count.

[@islandboiii9751]

@@mikeiso8963he did spark the dude who cleared it and beat max in 2 rounds he’s not scared of max. Gaejthe got koed cause he went to the middle is he didn’t do that he probably would’ve taken it to decision.

[@Truhandle91]

@@mikeiso8963 like you extra added the last part only to make sure to still be able to hate on Islam xD

[@trowabarton101]

@mikeiso8963 I don't blame Islam at all he was #2 p4p and they offered him #1 of course he took it. The rematch was bc Charlie olives got a cut, again not Islam fault. BUT If he fights illa before defending against an actual lightweight that's when we can call em out.

[@mikeiso8963]

@@Truhandle91 facts glad you caught it. I love how Islam fights and I wanna see him against Arman. He’s been talking about 170lbs since winning the title and I think it holds up one of the deepest divisions. Idk how much of it is him and what’s Ali but Dustin got a title shot off beating BSD off of Ali matching making max and Dustin to try and setup a rear naked choke 😂. He’s clearly one of the absolute bests but he’s not fought enough of the top 10 because they all ducked him on the way up and now they have to fight em and I wanna see it.

[@geezushasrisen]

Ducking him more than Bisping did Yoel.

[@Allmenshouldrespectallwomen]

Islam makachev did the same thing

[@doublez1185]

@@Allmenshouldrespectallwomenwho did Islam duck

[@AyeKay220]

That was a masterclass in ducking

[@geezushasrisen]

@@AyeKay220 Ducked the whole top ten for old man Hendo lol. And he still arguably lost.

[@KZ_MMA-KZ]

Yoel Romero was on gallons of gear, and Bisping already lost an eye to a PED cheater in Vitor Belfort. He didn't want to lose the other one to another PED cheater.

[@OVO794]

Ilia has got to be the most forgettable ufc champ right now, completely forgot this dude was the featherweight champ.

[@joerosadini951]

Me too. I don't even think I've seen any of his fights

[@goobeed]

@@joerosadini951Josh Emmett? Jair Herbert? I’d look them up Ilia’s got some insane fights

[@joerosadini951]

@@goobeed I just rewatched him knock out volk it was impressive I'll check out his shit

[@carlosvg2286]

It's been only 5 months

[@Eltiburonmma]

Nah, that’s Pantoja, but difference is people don’t recognize the flyweight division. On the other hand, ilia just doesn’t want to fight in one of the best divisions in the UFC, that’s why even I’ve forgotten him as a champion, which sucks ass, I love watching him fight.

[@garrettlee7742]

Ilia was looking for volk to give the belt back after max knocked out

[@gamebred6995]

max is 0-3 vs volk

[@briscoesjug1026]

yes he definitely was wanting to get volk that second opportunity after Max knock Justin out

[@joenu7s]

@@gamebred6995mma math does not work

[@powerlung2631]

Is this English?

[@tiburcioperezregistered]

I would laugh in the haters' faces when Ilia receives the BMF belt from Max after knocking him out. That would be lapidary for the hateful people of Ilia...

[@bzilla-d4i]

He's ducking harder than Michael Bisping ducked the top 5 when he was champ. To quote Yoel: " Dana, give me the fucking boy"

[@kevinaverbuj643]

These kind of antics from some of the new champions elevate the legacy of someone like Izzy who not only captured the belt but put it on the line multiple times and fought like twice or thrice a year

[@carlosvg2286]

He would be set to fight in October or September, not even 9 months since his title victory

[@GirthQuake3]

​@@carlosvg2286 someone gets it lol. He will defend this year.

[@1chaka]

I genuinely think the UFC is just telling both guys either one is ducking to make fake drama while they sort out logistics

[@donnydogpiss4533]

THANK YOU. How the fuck are people still falling for this shit when we know for a fact that the UFC employs this negotiation tactic all the time?

[@Jiu-JitsuJourney257]

He saw Max starch Gaethje and immediately started ducking lol

[@Nick_T_90]

Deadass bro looked SHOOK😂

[@diamondlife8086]

He’s going to spark Max. You guys are delusional

[@Frip36]

@@diamondlife8086 Love Max. But agree. Ilia to spark Max in late 2nd round, or 3rd.

[@nikajaliashvili1346]

he called him out after that fight just because you are pussy doesnt mean ilia is like u as well

[@savg2461]

@@Frip36damn man I hope you made some money ⚡️🤑😂

[@onceupongeorgia]

What an amateur discussion, people are talking about ilia was scared or avoiding fights?! Bro he is champion, undefeated only one champion! Also if max isn’t scared to lost, why he isn’t bringing on the table his BMF belt?!

[@alexrojas9603]

No way we are even talking about ilia moving up…. He’s not Connor, no one wants another Connor… we want champs fighting. They are the best of the best we know that…..

[@thatnerdjock]

You guys should make a “Top 10 UFC champs fans didn’t like or didn’t care for” video. Of course it would be subjective to the creators but maybe like create a list of 20 past or current champs known to be not liked by fans whatever the reason may be and then let everyone vote on it in a poll which creates the top ten list. Just an idea, I love all your content! 👊🏾

[@Shneebly]

The McGregor comparison is too generous. While McGregor did not defend the Featherweight title after winning it, he did fight 3 times in the next 11 months. It has already been 5 months and Ilia does not even have a fight SCHEDULED.

[@Unosolo_23]

Volk is the only person that can beat Max at 45 IMO

[@kevinbissinger]

Dustin could

[@insertgenericusernamehere2402]

Movsar Evloev would be an interesting one.

[@insertgenericusernamehere2402]

Can Dustin even make 145​@@kevinbissinger

[@trowabarton101]

​@@kevinbissinger 145 Dustin would probably look like a ghost

[@k45207]

@@insertgenericusernamehere2402 I’m sure he could but I don’t think he would tho

[@davidkhergiani6621]

Ilia reaction on Max KO was the same reaction we all had! guy loves mma and the the show. ppl are delusional saying he is scared :DD bro wtf?!

[@Khedran]

After Max KOd Gaethje, Ilia said he wasn't nervous, he just didn't know the camera was on him... Simultaneously admitting he fakes macho for the cameras and that his expression was genuine.

[@noahgore7931]

I've always said I dislike the lack of a "champions schedule" clause I'm every contract. I don't think the champion should be able to pick ANYTHING about the fights they take. That's what it means to be a champion. Anyone, anywhere, anytime.

[@warrenmcgreevy4590]

Hi guys, I cannot see the “join” button on your page, could this be because I am in Ireland? I would love to watch/listen to the full podcast. (The “join” button shows up on the official Liverpool FC KZbin channel for me which is why I’m confused it isn’t showing up on your guys’ channel)

[@curdisdunn5414]

He don't want to get that 10sec round 5 treatment lol 👇🥊

[@tiburcioperezregistered]

If Max does that again, it will be the worst mistake he ever makes.

[@BoomMC_Inc]

Khabib always stressed the importance of getting good English skills. Illy can't communicate effectively with the fans when it mattered the most.

[@tanngrisnr5076]

The BMF title should be like the money in the bank briefcase. If you have it you should be allowed to cash in a title challenge at any time

[@manwholaughs2477]

GSP vs Silva is the biggest fight they never made. That and Silva not getting the LHW belt before Jones showed up. He would have beat everyone that had that belt baring maybe a few.

[@OtreblaIIIable]

I don't recall anybody giving Connie any sh*t for not defending the FW belt after beating Aldo. He held on to that belt without defending it so he could fight for the LW belt

[@FinleyHutcho4650]

you need to make a video on Jon Jones ducking The real Heavyweight champ Tom the Skyrim npc Aspinall

[@SuperHoodCat]

The ufc is definitely telling topuria that max is the reason they haven’t made the fight and vice versa when it’s the ufc that is preventing it from being made

[@Beeydb163]

Illia doesn’t want you to fight I think it’s very clear.

[@jordyalmonte42]

Another point to add was that right after Max’s win at 300, Ilia publicly stated he wants to fight Max for the BMF but not a single mention of the 145lbs belt..

[@usyk7465]

Cuz he knows some people would be using weight cutting as an excuse

[@DCavu]

Defend the title or get stripped. The same goes for the other weight classes. It's really that simple.

[@georgegeorgiou1511]

Ilia is the most beautiful good looking skilled warrior in UFC.piece of art.appreciate the beauty guys

[@aussiefamilydog8923]

Bro why would Illia be ducking someone that loses belts like i do my keys. They literally had to make one up for him with the BMF. Hes the champ and Max is irrelevant cause Volt smoked him 3 times and he Folded Volt

[@FeaRMyNuK3]

I think I never seen this much of hate for a guy that speaks perfectly in the cage and is just not that good at trashtalking. You people are so lost with Ilia, he said from the start when Max won the BMF that he wanted that fight with both belts in game. Who was the one that said not to that? Not Ilia…How is Ilia going to be scared if he believes that fight is easier than Volk and did not deny any match until now and even going a weightclass up. I think Ilia has not sold a good narrative in USA but you guys are hating him so so much when you should just criticase him as a fighter, and as that his one of the best

[@jimmyhyun8546]

I don't know if it's the language barrier or what but Ilia has some of the most cringe social media posts of any UFC champion ever. He literally posted thanking HIMSELF like a dipshit.

[@art7104]

Max wants to fight, Ilia wants to fight, and UFC has a card in mind. I don’t think anybody is ducking anybody here

[@jayslice4371]

They should make a rule that a champ must defend at least 3 times before they get the opportunity to become double champ. That way they’ll be incentive to defend their title more often

[@donnydogpiss4533]

As much as I'd like such a rule, that'll never happen; this is prize fighting and the UFC will never handcuff their ability to freely matchmake like that.

[@thomasthellamas9886]

Anyone here after the news?

[@chazer7800]

Ilia is just gonna pull a Germain de Randamie and just never defend

[@Tenchigumi]

I mean like the guys said, he's more likely trying to pull a Conor. Just snatch belts, hold on to them for an age, and then disappear into another sport if possible.

[@chazer7800]

@@Tenchigumi Yeah I think thats what Ilia thinks he's doing, but he doesn't have nearly enough star power to figure it out

[@Tenchigumi]

@@chazer7800 Yeah, definitely not for mainstream fans outside of his bubble, but I do wonder how big he is in Spain/Georgia; being in an echo chamber of praise can do weird things to a man's ego.

[@Yourabsyx7]

It’s been 5 months lol I get people don’t like topuria but what are we doing

[@vincentsha1806]

i think whats happening is that the UFC is making this complicated and confusing on both sides. UFC probably wants to book max and ilia on the sphere but they also want to make the conor fight happen at the sphere. So they are purposefully delaying the confirmation on the ilia and max fight by blurring details until conor makes it clear that he will not fight.

[@HuyLe-wo3mb]

so everyone forgetting 0-3 vs Volk just because that Justin's fight?

[@BenjaminGoude]

I would guess both agreed to the fight, it's just the where and when between Dana and Ilia holding it up. Ilia wants it in Spain, and Dana probably wants it for November at MSG. Imagine Conor and Ilia on the two top fights on the MSG card. Big money.

[@Seniormando]

Ilia is spoiled and has be running without a doubt

[@ExoticHooligan]

Illia said 😯🥺😢

[@Yeahbruh200]

5:54 Bruh this isn't a bad stylistic match up for Topuria if anything it's better for him. Max got outboxed by a midget Volk in the pocket my guy, what do you think Topuria will do? His style is getting in close range agains taller opponents and fighting in the pocket. Nobody outboxed Topuria in this division

[@rudypeal6489]

I'm of the mindset that you're not a full champion without defending the belt. Just like how people would feel different about Strickland or Jamaal if they defended there's

[@Rougerinho]

If anything, Max is ducking Ilia, and when the fight happens I'm gonna make (again) a lot of money from the casuals and haters of Topuria, mark my words.

[@L0RDWAR12]

I love how everyone thinks Max is going to look as good as he did against Justin when he has to cut that muscle and deplete himself to fight again at 145 😂 Topuria vs Max is going to be a lot closer then people think.

[@Yourabsyx7]

I actually don’t think it’ll be close I can see topuria finishing it lol

[@Raudel-xc1fz]

Ilia by knockout

[@ogdaniel8360]

3 words. Max by KO

[@Skrilla-o6h]

He is definitely ducking him max doesn’t care about the belt as much as beating the best guys out there and he doesn’t move backwards he is ready to leave it all on the line and get knocked out… like Justin learned lmaoo

[@dylandavidson7831]

Topuria is a young exciting fighter that has a really bright future ahead of him. The UFC did him a big solid by not making him fight gate keeper Max before fighting Volk. Now that he has the belt, he has to fight Max because of the insane 300 knockout and repaying the UFC. He was built up properly to become a champion, now he needs to act like a champion and fight the clear #1 contender.

[@GalvezKillaworkouts]

Chael Sonnen seems to be the only one that understand what Ilia is doing with all the nonsense he speaks, "Ilia is tricking his opponents with his talking to underestimate him" and we see it is working perfectly, everytime he spits some yapping Volk and Max loose it and engage in X back and forth, when Ilia dont even manage his social media himself he has a crew that go and post anything to sell fights, Ilia have said he dont pay attention to social media and barely spend time himself on it, so he well accepted to be the hated villain and it is working every single mma fan is talking about this fight and is going to be the most anticipated and biggest fight of the year if Alex dont fight at heavyweigh.

[@DanAddison]

Max is my favourite fighter but I don't think it's beyond the realms of possibility that he's partly responsible for this delay. His BMF fight was designed to "give him options". It has done that. Now he has to decide whether Ilia for FW title is his favourite option. It might not be. He's already held that belt for ages, so the reward isn't THAT great compared to the risks (Ilia is probably the favourite if they match up, and I think that's correct even though I much prefer Max). Max can now fight pretty much anyone under 170, and he now knows for sure that he has the skills, power and durability to be just as elite at 155 as he has been at 145. And he can surely negotiate higher pay than ever after delivering arguably the greatest moment in UFC history against Justin. I'm sure there's more going on behind the scenes than just Max saying "sign me up to fight Ilia right now no questions asked let's go".

[@_rodrigochacon_]

Honestly I think that english speakers dont like Topuria that much simply because they dont have access to much of his content/interviews. In the Spanish conmunity the guy is a hero. I dont think he is ducking Max, however, I do think that he is trying to have some vacations and enjoy the belt.

[@Yourabsyx7]

Biggest shame is that topurias English accent sounds weird because his shit talking in Spanish is great

[@_rodrigochacon_]

@@Yourabsyx7 totally agree!!

[@jamiepal-kerr4822]

The grass is green, the sky is blue, Max Holloway doesn’t say no

[@I_AM_BAYTOR]

Topuria is so easy to hate... but he's so fun to use in Undisputed Forever. Dude feels OP.

[@djrandalruckus1]

I think it's a Combo of 2 Things. 1) Topuria downplayed Max & so many others so bad that the Fear of losing to a Max that looked Unbeatable at 300 2) Topuria demanded the BMF Belt to be on the line. Max said he would do it , But I Personally believe the UFC wants the BMF to stay Completely Separate from any Actual Weight Class Belt.

[@HaileyHernandez-np1iy]

Ty for the content uploads and overall quality and really the ... CONSISTENCY!! LOVE THE TOPICS of conversation, you guys are one the lost of top 3 go to channels for MMA ty

[@bonifaide]

what is this a cafe Nero product placement?? damn

[@chrisblatner31]

Love you guys, but how do you remember James Irvin and not Forest Griffin?

[@danstewart2770]

It's not only that Max knocked him out, he beat Gaethje every round-then, with the fight won, he invited Gaethje into the center of the ring to do a slugfest and dropped him.

[@justinscheapguitarsandreviews]

Max would fight Ngannou even if he had the entire USMC behind him. No fear. No quit. Toughest there is. Even in defeat he’s still the toughest dude in the octagon.

[@Robert399]

I don't think Ilia's particularly scared of Max (and his face after the knockout was just emphasising the moment). But I do think, like so many of these recent champs, he wants to drag out this belt, take the safe double champ fight instead of risking his belt with any competitive matchup.

[@danstewart2770]

Max wanted to fight Khabib when Khabib was recognized to be the best, and Max acknowledged it, but was hot for the fight at the press conference-and Torpuria ain't no Khabib.

[@abrahamdeleon2445]

These fighters riding the accolades of other fights is annoying Illia riding Volks win and Jamal riding Izzy’s win

[@gentlemandemon]

the thing about Connor getthing the double chance status without defending: he was the first person that Dana ever allowed to challenge for double champ status. it has more to do with the mainstream attention that Connor brought to the sport. Ilia did a lot to bring Spanish fans, but Connor made the sport much more global in way that you just can't do anymore. I don't think Connor deserved his double champ shot then based on the merits of the sport, so Ilia absolutely doesn't now

[@hjdeboer1662]

Everybody was shook and I think he was holding in excitement about a great performance rather than him being scared.

[@_Monsivais86_]

Yes. He is.

[@KBWarrioR2018]

Max is beloved. But that illia guy is something evil. He kinda scared me when he asked max to bring the same energy in the first 10 seconds

[@Unosolo_23]

Max is the BMF... If I could pick any 🏆 to fight for, that would be it! I just think there should be a BMF belt for the best strikers to compete for in every weight class

[@scattystormborn]

Ilia has a 0% chance of getting a crack at a lightweight title without defending FW

[@DanielDenoted]

Max been trying fight DC for years. Dude fears nothing

[@theprolificnetwork4670]

Topuria hasn't done enough for anyone to believe he's a BMF. BMF is for Worthy Warriors. To me the 1st BMF fight was Lawler vs Mcdonald 1& 2. I think Topuria is a one time Champ guy. He does not defend that belt multiple times.

[@H_whit99]

Probably best for illa the longer he waits because max is absolutely in a different prime right now imo. He’s in his physical prime, his body is best it’s ever looked, more powerful and faster. Less volume punches but he looks faster sharper and more powerful in my honest opinion.

[@Yourabsyx7]

People weren’t saying this as much as before the Dustin fight also of max is in his prime which I don’t think he is so is topuria lol

[@someguy36284]

Illia probably doesn't want to give Max the chance to be a double champ, especially when that's something Illia wants for himself.

[@almarro5643]

The Conor argument isn't there for Ilia for a few reasons (IMO of course.) He never got the headlines Conor did. He talked trash sure but when Conor made his damn debut a whole country was flying out to watch him fight. The first between him and Dustin most people tuned in for that fight. I have yet to run into anyone for that event (UFC 178) that could tell me that it was Johnson Vs Cariaso for the main event. Everyone wanted to watch Conor. He took on all comers in fighting Mendes short notice which Conor was getting beat up the first round comes out and KOs him with a blown ACL. Wait a few months later and he literally ONE PUNCHES JOSE ALDO and only a couple of months later wanted to go up and fight RDA then all the Diaz stuff happened. The difference of the careers for me is that as impressive as Ilia is (he's amazing) he NEVER captivated people like Conor did at the same stage of their careers. Another factor, most people I talk to in the MMA community will discredit Ilia's KO over Volk. "Oh, Volk got KOd by Islam not long before they fought so his chin was gone." Ilia needs to defend his belt in impressive fashion and then make a legitimate claim for double champion status. For me, he is absolutely phenomenal and I love watching him fight. But he just does not have the same following Conor had or HAS for that matter. I think it's time people accept nobody ever will have the same following as Conor. Maybe one day someone will be bigger than Conor who knows but eventually we need to stop comparing every single "super stars" career to Conor. It takes away from upcoming fighters and doesn't allow growth especially when you have a guy like Conor (who let's be honest is nearing the end of his career if not done with it) holding up the whole picture.

[@dmitribaquero6753]

I don´t think Topuria is afraid of Holloway; but he thinks he is to big for him; which is freaking dumb.

[@jarionclack4590]

This is a joke right? The man put 15-0 before fighting volk but he’s not confident y’all are straight jokes

[@Mr20358]

What’s up ilia

[@WhosJusToi]

Anytime max has pulled out of a fight it’s been due to an injury. He absolutely has pulled out before BUT it was ALWAYS due to injury….

[@frankl3518]

According to Ilia it's Max holding things up. He said Max is having family and weight issues. Who knows what's true. It would be nice if Dana did his job and kept us in the loop

[@matthewginther7382]

Which is hilarious as Max has never had a single weight hiccup.

[@frankl3518]

@matthewginther7382 He's always been a big FW tho and fighters outgrow weight classes. Plus he was noticeably bigger at UFC 300. I'm not saying Ilia's story is true. It's just what he said publicly and we've heard nothing from Max or Dana

[@Rimestad05]

Max fought someone when his home land was burning down. He literally will fight anyone, anytime, anywhere. The guy been trying to fight DC for years. Ilia made a movie about himself getting the title that nobody watched and he hide after he seen max knock out Justin, he’s afraid to lose.

[@briansnoopy123]

I think the UFC was the one sending mixed signals to the fighters

[@michaelmccarty1327]

We're ignoring the obvious 3rd party necessary to make a fight, one that has a history of lying to fans and fighters: the UFC.

[@HabloEscobar-7]

Bruh saying Ilia is ducking Max is Ironic when he slept the one that schooled Max for 5 rounds.

[@mvas1l]

yeah after he got koed the week before you chewgy fuck

[@Cilent__]

We cant say for 100% sure that Ilia is scared...but...what we can say for 100% sure is that Max will fight anyone.

[@seanhackett7621]

Funny how he's trynna create the A side when having the belt makes him upper echelant as is,goes without saying he's trynna prove he deserves to be there by turning down fights.. gotta love psychology

[@quinteneverett3803]

The great escpae thumbnail 😂

[@dy120481]

Uh, Topuria KO'd the guy Holloway lost to 3 times. Holloway's likely having trouble getting back down to 145 after gaining the appropriate weight to move properly to 155.

[@CYMotorsport]

Could he be angling for champ champ though? Why wouldn’t he? He’ll earn millions in a ppv pts bout while not even risking his belt. A no risk way to guarantee to multi million dollar paydays. He’s of course not scared of max given he’s wanting Islam who is WAY scarier in the ring but he can simultaneously respect max enough to know it’s a big enough risk that his chance to try this diminishes if he takes him first. Highly doubt it’ll work - islams team has to know despite the easy win, it’s not a proper defense in the eyes of the public. but pretty smart considering max can’t complain if he did.. max has lost multiple shots at the same guy Ilia just shadow realmed. & max just got his shot at the BMF belt up in weight. Speaking of weight, i notice as a long time boxing fan originally that mma fans underestimate the significance of weight…and to a degree I get that. Fighters don’t often shuffle especially in the ufc vs the many distinctions that exist in boxing. But if you think that’s the same Max vs Justin that steps in the octagon at featherweight, you’re OUTSIDE your mind haha. If anything it proved his length, pop, and durability were always at lightweight. When max boils down, he loses that grit and power to a degree. Reminds me of Cotto at 140 vs 47. Went from a wobbling bobble head at junior to an ATG at full welterweight. What might be being overlooked is max might be trying to close a speed gap. Ilia has both power and speed at that weight in spades. It’ll be a good scrap but Jesus are you forgetting what volk did to max? The first I’d defend max but after that it was ugly. Atleast in the last one. Imagine that 3rd fight but more power, faster, and a genuine nasty ground game. Still would pay to watch and max always has a chance. But this truly does seem like a guy trying to maximize his title. I don’t think it’ll work and I think it’s not helping his image but I def could understand it

[@LogosBKC]

Dude would be so smart fighting Max at either 145 or 155 and claiming to be a P4P king

[@jacobeparsels9251]

From the champs we had just a couple years ago to the champs we have now seems like everyone is ducking or inactive

[@user-mn9wc5ru5w]

CHAMA 🔥 🗿

[@jacobeparsels9251]

@@user-mn9wc5ru5w Alex keeping it alive chama

[@Luey-E]

I'm only part way through the video but y'all remember when ilia said he wants the bmf belt on the line? Maybe the UFC are hesitant and that could be causing the holdup

[@GirthQuake3]

Anyone saying ilia is ducking max just doesnt like ilia. Its pure cope.